title: Policymakers struggle to define essential access.
abstract: Rural health advocates have succeeded in prodding lawmakers into action to preserve access to care in rural areas, but the next hurdle--achieving consensus on just how to do that--may prove even tougher. In fact, the first obstacle that policymakers will have to overcome may be to reach agreement on a definition of the term "essential access."
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D000573:American Hospital Association; D003625:Data Collection; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006761:Hospitals; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000191:economics*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011050:Policy Making; D012424:Rural Population; D013221:State Health Plans; D014481:United States